October 18, 2012

Poetry Through Divination: An Interview with Reb Livingston, Curator of the Bibliomancy Oracle by Julie E. Bloemeke

Today an interview with Reb Livingston, who began the Bibilomancy
Oracle Project in May 2012. Be sure to
consult the Oracle throughout the interview for your own personal
prophecy. Just click the orb to the left or on the link at the end of the interview.

I am continually fascinated by this idea of
kismet, technology and unexpected ways of experiencing poetry. Can you discuss your impetus behind the
Bibliomancy Oracle project? How did you
decide which poems to include?

R: Bibliomancy is the use of books in divination. The concept is that
literature contains “truths” and speak to matters of great importance. People
have been using books for divination for hundreds of years. Ask a question,
pick a book at random, open it to a random page, place your finger down, again,
at random—and there’s your answer. According to Wikipedia, the term Bibliomancy
was first recorded in 1753. The term Stichomancy, divination by lines of verse
in books taken at hazard, was first recorded in 1693. Bibliomancy is definitely
old technology.

I’m still selecting prophecies to include. Every week I add new
prophecies and intend on doing so for some time to come. When selecting a line
or several (I never include an entire poem), I try to anticipate it being an
answer to the endless number of questions posed to an Oracle. It’s all about
interpretation. I try to avoid obvious horrific prophecies, like “you will die
in a fiery crash” – but something seemingly mild might not be so mild depending
on the question and questioner’s perception. There are some very positive
responses, some less positive and some seemingly ambiguous. Sometimes a
question is answered with another question. Probably because the questioner is
asking the wrong question.

I’ve always been interested in Tarot and dream interpretations and have
used other online oracles for years. None of the online oracles I came across
satisfied what I was looking for. Some gave shallow answers, others were
rambling and disorganized. I wanted to make an online bibliomancy oracle
because probably 75% of poems that I read are online. I noticed that Tumblr had
a “random” feature, so that made it easy to create the oracle. I spent a month
creating a few hundred prophecy posts and then made a page with big teal button
linked to the “random” URL. That’s how it works. Tumblr randomly selects the
questioner’s prophecy from the database of poem fragments I added. Today
there’s almost 1000 prophecies and it’s becoming increasingly eerily jarring in
its responses. I’d say accurate, but I’ll leave that up to everyone else to
decide.

R: My favorite
bibliomancy example is this from Wikipedia: “English poet Robert Browning used this method to ask about the fate of
his enchantment to Elizabeth Barret (later known as Elizabeth Barret Browning).
He was at first disappointed to choose the book "Cerutti’s Italian
Grammar", but on randomly opening it his eyes fell on the following
sentence: ‘if we love in the other world as we do in this, I shall love thee to
eternity' (which was a translation exercise).”

There are many, but I’ll just share two from the Oracle:

A friend sprained her finger and asked if her hand would feel better
soon. She got this response:

And once you
move them, one by one, palm circles through

the grime and
cup your hands round your faces, finally able

to see through—

from “Ghosts
That Need Reminding” by Dana Levin

She showed the
prophecy to her husband. He tried to explain it away by saying the Oracle must
have searched for keywords and matched up the answer. But you don’t type in the
question, you just say or think it. No parlor tricks with the Bibliomancy
Oracle.

Also, on the evening
of the first presidential debate I asked the Oracle for its prophecy on the
event and it responded with this:

Colonialism and
business

Mark their 500th
anniversary

the world is
free

It’s Miller
Time.

from “IT’S
MILLER TIME” by Victor Hernandez Cruz

One of the many
things to love about the Bibliomancy Oracle is its awesome sense of humor.

Yes! And, of course, kismet! Check this out. When I asked the Bibliomancy Oracle about our
energies convening for this interview this was my reply:

You will. You will you
will. Ah you will. from “Tea”
by Mairéad Byrne.

R: And we have,
have we not?

Indeed, we have! What is your long-term vision for the Oracle?

R: The long-term vision is the current
vision: for the oracle to exist, operate as an oracle and grow with possible
responses. On a lesser note, it also introduces poems to people outside of the
poetry community using the oracle. The oracle is more approachable, less
insular, than a literary magazine or anthology. Certainly there are people who
aren't coming to it for the poetry aspect as much as the prophecy aspect -- the
same reasons people use Tarot, astrology, psychics, runes, ouija, etc. I can't
say what, if anything, could come from that for poetry's sake. But people using
the oracle are invested in reading and considering the poem fragments they're
given.

What have you read lately
that has grabbed your attention?

R: Recently I’m
reading graphic novels, my most recent favorite is The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. Recent poetry collections that
really wowed me are TRISM by Rebecca
Loudon, China Cowboy by Kim Gek Lin
Short and Culture of One by Alice
Notley. I loved and am absolutely envious at Kirsten Kaschock’s novel, Sleight. I’m seeking darker reading
these days.

Right now, I have to know.
Is your heart a calm potato?

R: No. My heart is an
indoor wave pool, frothing. I wouldn’t have
it any other way.

I’ve saved the last word
for the Oracle. When I posed the
question: Is there anything else you would like to add to our interview? Here is what the Oracle had to say:

stop running from the
gift

slow down to catch up
with it

from “Muse & Drudge [why these blues come from us]”
by Harryette Mullen

And now, to Reb. When you posed this exact question, what was
the Oracle’s response for you?

Conrad longs to be Carmenized, but
googles

the night away with many, with none.

from ”His Affair” by Michael
Gushue

Wow!
Leave it to the Oracle to end with a mention of technology! Hmmm,
confluence? Thank you, Bibliomancy
Oracle. Thank you, Reb.

Reb Livingston is the curator of the
Bibliomancy Oracle and author of God
Damsel (No Tell Books 2010) and Your
Ten Favorite Words (Coconut Books 2007). She lives in Northern Virginia
with her husband and son.

Tomorrow, a wrap up of our week in
technology and kismet, including a sampler of print publications that are
devoting issues to social media/social networking poetry. And a little trip into the po-tech electric.

Comments

Poetry Through Divination: An Interview with Reb Livingston, Curator of the Bibliomancy Oracle by Julie E. Bloemeke

Today an interview with Reb Livingston, who began the Bibilomancy
Oracle Project in May 2012. Be sure to
consult the Oracle throughout the interview for your own personal
prophecy. Just click the orb to the left or on the link at the end of the interview.

I am continually fascinated by this idea of
kismet, technology and unexpected ways of experiencing poetry. Can you discuss your impetus behind the
Bibliomancy Oracle project? How did you
decide which poems to include?

R: Bibliomancy is the use of books in divination. The concept is that
literature contains “truths” and speak to matters of great importance. People
have been using books for divination for hundreds of years. Ask a question,
pick a book at random, open it to a random page, place your finger down, again,
at random—and there’s your answer. According to Wikipedia, the term Bibliomancy
was first recorded in 1753. The term Stichomancy, divination by lines of verse
in books taken at hazard, was first recorded in 1693. Bibliomancy is definitely
old technology.

I’m still selecting prophecies to include. Every week I add new
prophecies and intend on doing so for some time to come. When selecting a line
or several (I never include an entire poem), I try to anticipate it being an
answer to the endless number of questions posed to an Oracle. It’s all about
interpretation. I try to avoid obvious horrific prophecies, like “you will die
in a fiery crash” – but something seemingly mild might not be so mild depending
on the question and questioner’s perception. There are some very positive
responses, some less positive and some seemingly ambiguous. Sometimes a
question is answered with another question. Probably because the questioner is
asking the wrong question.

I’ve always been interested in Tarot and dream interpretations and have
used other online oracles for years. None of the online oracles I came across
satisfied what I was looking for. Some gave shallow answers, others were
rambling and disorganized. I wanted to make an online bibliomancy oracle
because probably 75% of poems that I read are online. I noticed that Tumblr had
a “random” feature, so that made it easy to create the oracle. I spent a month
creating a few hundred prophecy posts and then made a page with big teal button
linked to the “random” URL. That’s how it works. Tumblr randomly selects the
questioner’s prophecy from the database of poem fragments I added. Today
there’s almost 1000 prophecies and it’s becoming increasingly eerily jarring in
its responses. I’d say accurate, but I’ll leave that up to everyone else to
decide.

R: My favorite
bibliomancy example is this from Wikipedia: “English poet Robert Browning used this method to ask about the fate of
his enchantment to Elizabeth Barret (later known as Elizabeth Barret Browning).
He was at first disappointed to choose the book "Cerutti’s Italian
Grammar", but on randomly opening it his eyes fell on the following
sentence: ‘if we love in the other world as we do in this, I shall love thee to
eternity' (which was a translation exercise).”

There are many, but I’ll just share two from the Oracle:

A friend sprained her finger and asked if her hand would feel better
soon. She got this response:

And once you
move them, one by one, palm circles through

the grime and
cup your hands round your faces, finally able

to see through—

from “Ghosts
That Need Reminding” by Dana Levin

She showed the
prophecy to her husband. He tried to explain it away by saying the Oracle must
have searched for keywords and matched up the answer. But you don’t type in the
question, you just say or think it. No parlor tricks with the Bibliomancy
Oracle.

Also, on the evening
of the first presidential debate I asked the Oracle for its prophecy on the
event and it responded with this:

Colonialism and
business

Mark their 500th
anniversary

the world is
free

It’s Miller
Time.

from “IT’S
MILLER TIME” by Victor Hernandez Cruz

One of the many
things to love about the Bibliomancy Oracle is its awesome sense of humor.

Yes! And, of course, kismet! Check this out. When I asked the Bibliomancy Oracle about our
energies convening for this interview this was my reply:

You will. You will you
will. Ah you will. from “Tea”
by Mairéad Byrne.

R: And we have,
have we not?

Indeed, we have! What is your long-term vision for the Oracle?

R: The long-term vision is the current
vision: for the oracle to exist, operate as an oracle and grow with possible
responses. On a lesser note, it also introduces poems to people outside of the
poetry community using the oracle. The oracle is more approachable, less
insular, than a literary magazine or anthology. Certainly there are people who
aren't coming to it for the poetry aspect as much as the prophecy aspect -- the
same reasons people use Tarot, astrology, psychics, runes, ouija, etc. I can't
say what, if anything, could come from that for poetry's sake. But people using
the oracle are invested in reading and considering the poem fragments they're
given.

What have you read lately
that has grabbed your attention?

R: Recently I’m
reading graphic novels, my most recent favorite is The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. Recent poetry collections that
really wowed me are TRISM by Rebecca
Loudon, China Cowboy by Kim Gek Lin
Short and Culture of One by Alice
Notley. I loved and am absolutely envious at Kirsten Kaschock’s novel, Sleight. I’m seeking darker reading
these days.

Right now, I have to know.
Is your heart a calm potato?

R: No. My heart is an
indoor wave pool, frothing. I wouldn’t have
it any other way.

I’ve saved the last word
for the Oracle. When I posed the
question: Is there anything else you would like to add to our interview? Here is what the Oracle had to say:

stop running from the
gift

slow down to catch up
with it

from “Muse & Drudge [why these blues come from us]”
by Harryette Mullen

And now, to Reb. When you posed this exact question, what was
the Oracle’s response for you?

Conrad longs to be Carmenized, but
googles

the night away with many, with none.

from ”His Affair” by Michael
Gushue

Wow!
Leave it to the Oracle to end with a mention of technology! Hmmm,
confluence? Thank you, Bibliomancy
Oracle. Thank you, Reb.

Reb Livingston is the curator of the
Bibliomancy Oracle and author of God
Damsel (No Tell Books 2010) and Your
Ten Favorite Words (Coconut Books 2007). She lives in Northern Virginia
with her husband and son.

Tomorrow, a wrap up of our week in
technology and kismet, including a sampler of print publications that are
devoting issues to social media/social networking poetry. And a little trip into the po-tech electric.